Sunday, March 3, 2013

India is the largest producer and
consumer of the dairy milk in this world producing around 130 million
tonnes and the total world production estimates 730 million tones. FAO
estimated 85% of all milk worldwide was produced from cows and the rest
is from other species ( 11% Buffalo ,2% got and 2% others.). USA is the
second largest producer of milk and the first largest producer of cow's
milk. Israel dairy farms are very productive with an yield of 12,546 kgs
of milk per cow per year.

Indian Dairy farmers are in crisis
with increased cost of production and non remunerative prices. Return on
investment for dairy farmers are very less due to increased costs of
feed and medical expenses for animals. Earlier, the cattle used to
depend on grazing, natural resources and crop residue for fodder which
are decreasing now. The milk farmers are forcibly depend on the packaged
cattle feed to increase the milk production, eventually the cost of
production has increased. Feed cost has been increasing up to 30- 50
percent from past four consecutive years, but the milk procurement
prices have not increased comparatively. Health care also big burden,
vaccination and De-warming costs have been increased.

The
productivity of the cattle is based on the caring and managing, farmers
are slowly decreasing their non performance animals and switching over
to efficient breeds like Jersey and Holstein Friesian. Investment on
these exotic cattle is heavy burden for the farmers and these breeds
need more feed, water and caring since they are not native animals.
Farmers are struggling to get loans for milking animals and also the
bank charges are very high up to 12% interest rate and insurance cost is
additional. With the increased cost of production including expensive
breeds the dairy farming is not remunerative, so the farmers are slowly
decreasing their herd size and some of the farmers have giving up the
dairy farming.

The procurement prices have not increased
comparatively with milk market selling prices, in fact the procurement
prices have reduced in Oct and Nov months of 2012. The Andhra Pradesh
farmers have faced a bitter experience called "MILK HOLIDAY" due to the
false market analysis by milk marketing companies. They have imported
low-priced Skim milk powder by estimating that the milk production is
going to be less for this year but there is a consistent growth in milk
production. Most of the milk marketing companies including Co-operative
sectors have reduced the procurement prices and some of them have
stopped to collect the milk from farmers. Animal fodder is the biggest
problem for the farmers, decrease in grazing land, natural resources and
drought situations leads tough time for animal fodder. Last year, the
dry forage was sold at Rs.2.00 per kg in some arid districts of Andhra
Pradesh. The loan facilities for cattle are too tough for small farmers, a rural poor woman who wants to buy a buffalo she gets the loan with high interest rate up to 14% with a great struggle, where as in the cities the car loan get approved with 7-8 percent interest rate without any hurdles.

Our Indian Dairy Industry is in chaotic situation, India is the largest milk producer in the world, ironically...

whereas chemical mixed adulterated milk is widely available in the market.

whereas milk consumption is very less and 68.72 Kg/capita/year.

Whereas
The Food and safety standards authority of India ( FSSAI) has announced
the 68% of the bulk milk supplies have found to be unsafe and
substandard quality.

Indian government has opened the gates to
FDI's and excited to enter in free trade agreements, already France's
DANONE is aggressively marketing it's dairy products in Indian market
associated with Dynamix Dairy- Baramathi ( Maharashtra), New Zealand's
FONTERRA and DANONE are interested to acquire major stack in Hyderabad
based Tirumala Dairy products. As we know that all largest milk
producing countries are keen to enter in Indian market, most of the
developed nations' dairy farming is massively funded and heavily
subsidized by the governments with various income support plans like
i.e. Milk income loss contract payment, Market loss assistance, Dairy
Income loss assistance programs, dairy Indemnity, milk marketing fees
and so on. Such huge subsidies keep the International milk prices down
which are going to affect very badly on our Indian dairy industry. we
should oppose as strong as possible to protect our Indian dairy Industry
against dumping.

In order to protect our dairy farmers, the milk
procurement prices should be fixed based on the cost of production as
the practice where implemented in crop farming. The banks should
liberalize the policies in cattle loans for Individual farmers to buy
one or two animals and Government should arrange interest free loans to
the dairy farmers. Government should invest in co-operative dairies and
allot matching grants of subsidies for remunerative milk procurement
prices. The government need to take some steps on milk promotion
programs by offering small quantity of milk to school going children,
lactating women and pregnant women to boost milk consumption. The Indian
milk marketing companies including co-operatives all together should
run a united advertising campaign which shall create an importance of
milk in our daily life.. like www.gotmilk.com by California Milk processor Board.

We
shall have to try all possible options to rescue our milk farmers, if
not they will give up dairy farming, therefore India may encounter
serious milk shortage which leads to malnutrition.

About Me

I have a dream that the farmers shall be treated as entrepreneurs and knowledgeable workers. Farmers shall be respected as most Valuable citizens of the earth. I would like to achieve my vision by working for agriculture,food and economy.